Hunting Isn't Everything
by SupernaturalIsMyLife1
Summary: Cassandra Archer is a childhood friend of Sam and Dean. When they meet her again the trio decide to hunt together, but is Cassandra what she seems? Eventual SamxOC


Cassandra Archer opened the curtains in her hotel room and smiled. It had only been a few months since she became a hunter, but she already loved it. The fact she'd become a hunter was purely down to her mother in the first place - Sarah Archer had been a hunter and when her mother died hunting a witch Cassandra had taken over the job. After she got revenge on the witch for her mom's death Cassandra began travelling the country protecting people from monsters.

The twenty three year old woman quickly dressed in jeans and a light blue shirt, before heading downstairs. Before she could figure out her plans for the day, Cassandra got a call from her childhood best friend, Haley. Haley Collins lived in Colorado with her brothers Tommy and Ben. The girls had been best friends when Cassandra and her mother had stayed at a nearby hotel when Cassandra was a teenager, and kept in contact even after they left.

"Cassandra?"  
"Haley, is something wrong?" Cassandra was worried hearing how distressed her friend sounded.  
"It's Tom, he's missing. He'd gone camping but he never came home when he was meant to…" Haley explained.  
"I'm coming, Haley, just stay there."

A knock came at the door just as Cassandra hung up the phone. Haley put her phone down on the coffee table before heading over to the door, opening it to find two men there - one was in his mid-to-late twenties and the other was around the same age as Haley.

"You must be Haley Collins?" the elder man asked. "I'm Dean, this is Sam. We're, uh, we're rangers with the park service. Ranger Wilkinson sent us over, we're here to ask some questions about your brother Tommy."  
"Let me see some ID." Haley told them. Dean showed her his ID and she opened the door for them. "That yours?" Haley asked seeing Dean's Impala outside her house.  
"Yeah."  
"Nice car." Haley complimented as she headed into the house.

Haley led them into the sitting room, before heading into the kitchen to make tea for them.

"So, if Tommy's not due back for a while how do you know something's wrong?" Sam asked Haley when she returned with the tea.  
"He checks in everyday by cell. He emails, photos, stupid little videos. We haven't heard anything for three days now…" Haley explained.  
"Maybe he can't get cell reception." Sam suggested. Haley shook her head.  
"He's got a satellite phone too." Haley replied.  
"Could it be he's just having fun and forgot to check in?" Dean asked. Ben looked up from his meal then, frowning.  
"He wouldn't do that." Ben told the hunters.

"Can I see the pictures he sent you?" Sam asked. Haley nodded and they went to the computer. Haley clicked through some photos of Tommy, Sam and Dean watching the slideshow.  
"That's Tom." Haley explained, before playing the brothers a video of Tommy on 'day six'.

The next morning, Cassandra was waiting with Haley, Ben and Roy their guide. Roy and Haley had been arguing about whether Ben should come or stay at home until Cassandra had pointed out that he was pretty safe with them - all of them were carrying weapons and it was a dumb idea to send Ben on his own with something out in the woods. It didn't take long for Dean and Sam to arrive. Cassandra was shocked recognising the pair, before she smiled to herself.  
"You got room for two more?" Dean asked the group.  
"Wait, you want to come with us?" Haley asked.  
"Who are these guys?" Roy asked.  
"Apparently all the park service could muster for the search." Haley replied to the guide. Cassandra couldn't help scoffing at the idea of Sam and Dean being park rangers. Dean glanced at Cassandra, grinning a bit at her reaction. Cassandra couldn't help grinning back, before glancing at Sam.

"Hi, Sam." Cassandra giggled seeing he looked confused as to how she knew his name. _He really hasn't changed much._  
"How do you know my name?" Sam frowned. She rolled her eyes at him.  
"Denver, 1989. Your dad and my mom worked together on a hunt…" Cassandra waited for the pieces to link together, smirking when Sam started to smile.  
"Cassandra… No way!" Sam pulled her into a fierce hug.  
"You know each other?" Haley looked to her friend wanting answers.  
"Yep. We met when I was seven, and Sam was six. Our families had gone hunting, and I was exploring the hotel we were staying in when I bumped into Sam. We became close friends after that, until my mom and I left a few days later. We kept bumping into their family after that." Cassandra explained.

The group began walking towards where Tommy was meant to have been staying. They walked in single file - Roy took the lead as the expert with Dean walking behind him. Cassandra, Haley and Ben walked behind him, Haley in front of her brother and Cassandra in front of Haley while Sam brought up the rear. Dean and Roy were having a conversation. Cassandra wasn't really listening she was too busy scanning the woods around them for whatever monster had taken Tommy, silently deciding that if anything had happened to him she would personally destroy the entire nest/group of monsters herself. She looked up seeing Roy grab Dean by the back of his jacket, before he picked up a stick and set off a bear trap Dean would have stepped on.

"You should watch where you step, ranger." Roy cautioned Dean with a smirk, obviously not believing the boys story anymore. Roy carried on walking and Dean turned to the rest of the group.  
"Bear trap." he told them. Cassandra rolled her eyes at him.

"You didn't pack any provisions. You guys are carrying a duffel bag. You're not rangers, so who the hell are you?" Haley asked, grabbing hold of Dean. Cassandra quickly moved towards her friend, worried. Dean nodded to Sam, and the rest of the group carried on moving but Dean, Haley and Cassandra stayed where they were.  
"Sam and I are brothers. We're looking for our father."  
"John's missing?" Cassandra looked surprised and honestly worried - from what she remembered of John Winchester he was a damn good hunter. For him to be missing meant he was either dead or captured by something.  
"Yeah." Dean answered her question before turning back to Haley. "He might be here, we don't know. I just figured you and me are in the same boat." Cassandra was relieved when the group continued moving, Haley having patched up any misgivings she had about Dean and Sam.

"This is it. Blackwater Ridge." Roy told the group. Cassandra wandered a little away from the group, looking for any clues of what they were dealing with. She rolled her eyes seeing Dean keeping his eye on her - she wasn't a child anymore and could take care of herself but Dean seemed to have reverted back to his overprotective nature when he found out who she was.

 _Aurora, Colorado - 11_ _th_ _May 1991_

" _Cassandra, I'm going to find this ghost. I want you to stay here and lock the doors okay?" Sarah Archer told her nine year old daughter. Cassandra nodded from her seat on the hotel bed where she was watching cartoons on the television in the room. Sarah left the room and Cassandra got up to lock the door, but paused hearing familiar voices outside.  
"I want you to watch Sam while I'm gone, Dean." John Winchester told his eldest son before leaving their hotel room. Cassandra quickly wrote a note for her mother saying which room she was in before going over to the Winchester hotel room. She knocked on the door, the secret knock she and Sam had created two years ago when they used to sneak into each other's hotel rooms._

" _Dean, it's Cassandra. That's our secret knock." Sam told his elder brother, moving to open the door.  
"It could be a demon possessing her, Sammy. Wait here." Cassandra heard Dean tell the younger brother before the door was opened and holy water thrown into her face. Cassandra frowned, water dripping down her face.  
"I'm not a demon, Dean!" Cassandra stamped her foot in annoyance. Dean just grinned at the young girl before moving aside to let her into the hotel room. _

" _Cassandra!" Sam ran over to the girl, hugging her. Cassandra giggled and hugged him back.  
"Hi Sammy! Mom went out hunting and I saw your dad leave so I thought I'd come say hi!" Cassandra smiled at her friend. Dean watched the pair as they began to play in the hotel room, the nine year old girl easily beating the eight year old at Scrabble. _


End file.
